In removing dents from sheet metal panels, forming the outer shell of automotive vehicles, it is common practice to pound the dent out by hammering against the opposite or inner surface of the panel where the opposite surface is accessible, as in the case of the inner surface of a fender. In those areas wherein the inner surface is not accessible without removing interior lining, as in body panels, it is common practice to secure a bolt or screw to the panel and pull the dent out by impacting a slidable weight or hammer against an anvil. These methods of straightening vehicle body panels have proved generally satisfactory, but they tend to leave an outwardly directed "lump" where the screw or other pulling member is attached to the panel.